Two tries on his 100th St Helens appearance capped an impressive display from Jack Welsby to help the hosts triumph in Friday's Super League derby clash; Tommy Makinson went over twice, with Joe Batchelor and Agnatius Paasi grabbing one apiece for Saints as well
Saturday 10 June 2023 07:03, UK
Jack Welsby marked his 100th St Helens appearance by helping the reigning Super League champions to a 34-16 victory at home to bitter rivals Wigan Warriors in Friday’s derby clash.
Saints capitalised on an early error from the Warriors to lead through Joe Batchelor's converted try after three minutes, but some great vision from Harry Smith and magic from Jai Field got the visitors back on level terms.
Converted tries from Tommy Makinson, who missed two penalties as well, and full-back Welsby gave the hosts an 18-10 lead at the break at Totally Wicked Stadium though, with Wigan having hit back through an unconverted Bevan French score.
However, Agnatius Paasi's try eight minutes into the second half saw Saints carry on from where they left off in the first, with further tries from Welsby and Makinson sealing a comfortable win and send the majority of the 16,272 in attendance home happy. Abbas Miski's late finish, meanwhile, provided little consolation for Wigan.
The wins marks some recovery by Paul Wellens' side, who have struggled for much of the campaign following their pre-season heroics in the World Club Championship, but have surely now restored their status as one of the favourites for the big end-of-season prizes.
In contrast, another error-strewn performance saw Matt Peet's visitors slump to their fourth defeat in five Super League games - the only exception a fortunate golden-point win at Hull KR - which leaves them clinging on in the sixth and final play-off place.
The 22-year-old Welsby made his presence felt with just three minutes on the clock when he delivered a short off-load from which Batchelor bundled over to give his side the early lead.
Makinson kicked Saints six clear but missed the first of two penalty attempts and Wigan, despite a potentially costly error count, were somehow level on 13 when Field reacted fastest to Smith's neat chip, with Smith duly kicking the conversion.
Makinson, who had contributed 28 points to Saints' crushing Magic Weekend win over Huddersfield, inexplicably missed a second penalty attempt from in front of posts after strong Saints pressure as Wellens' team took some time to start turning their territorial dominance into points.
The winger duly atoned for his error by zooming in on the left edge after Welsby splayed the ball out wide, before rediscovering his kicking boots with a superb conversion - his second of what would prove five successful kicks - from wide on the touchline to restore the six-point advantage.
England international Welsby produced a thunderous tackle to deny Lebanon international Miski a likely try on the Wigan right approaching the half-hour, but moments later served a timely reminder that he remains a work in progress when he fumbled a speculative kick from French, allowing the Wigan man to chase through and reduce the deficit.
Welsby emulated his Wigan rival with a successful kick-chase in time to help Saints establish an 18-10 half-time advantage, and both he and Saints turned on the style after the break, running in three more tries to take the game beyond their opponents.
The impressive Agnatius Paasi extended Saints' lead when he crashed over eight minutes after the restart, and after James Roby rolled back the years with a lung-bursting run into the Wigan 20, Welsby was at hand to dive over for his second and take game almost out of sight.
Arguably the best was yet to come from Welsby, a deliciously weighted pass that sent Makinson trotting over in the corner for his second of the night. Miski grabbed a late consolation for Wigan, Smith duly converting, but it had long since been Saints' and Welsby's night.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens
"I'm really pleased for the players. It's been well documented we've had a tough few months, but as a group we feel we're turning a bit of a corner.
"The evidence was there again [on Friday]. We've got other important games down the track and it's all about performance, but where we're sitting right now we're very happy."
Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet
"We weren't great, we're not playing well at the moment. In attack and defence we fell short, and Saints were very good.
"If anything, we look at our defence first and we've conceded 30-odd points. We've got a few troops to come back as well and ultimately in that middle section of the game we need to be better."
Both teams are in Challenge Cup quarter-final action next week. St Helens travel to Hull FC on Saturday, June 17 (2.30pm), while holders Wigan host another rival in Warrington Wolves the following day (2.30pm).
